


Remove From The Picture

by feralfansie



Category: Newsies - All Media Types
Genre: M/M, albert has self esteem issues and i will fight them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-14 13:35:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29792685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/feralfansie/pseuds/feralfansie
Summary: much to everyone's confusion, albert starts ignoring his friends-his brothers. race finally explodes, and he finds out why albert started distancing himself.
Relationships: Albert DaSilva/Racetrack Higgins
Kudos: 10





	Remove From The Picture

**Author's Note:**

> tw like one or two swear words

Seeing Albert calm and quiet wasn't necessarily rare, despite him being one of the more chaotic newsies at the lodge. Even he had his limits.

But seeing Albert ignore his boyfriend, who's been his best friend for nearly ten years, was unusual.

No one knew what sparked it, not even Race. Most people assumed that they had a fight, those weren't uncommon in the lodge, but then they saw the confusion on Race's face and crossed that possibility off of the list.

It started when Race reached his arms out for a hug after the bell rang, as he did every day, and Albert just brushed by him. He was never big on physical touch, so nobody was truly surprised at first. But the redhead didn't even say a word to Race, leaving him confused and worried.

It went on like this the entire day. Albert wasn't talking to anyone. The most interaction he'd have with another newsie would be a nod of acknowledgement. Nobody was sure what was going on, but they gave him space.

It affected Race the most. The blonde was left without an explanation as to why his best friend - his boyfriend - was ignoring him. His mind ran over all the things that he could've possibly done wrong. Was he being too loud at lunch the other day? Did he say something that he didn't know would hurt him? Race got quieter and quieter as the days went by, which was extremely unusual for him.

Albert slowly started to interact more with the other boys, never explaining why he went silent all of the sudden. He still stayed away from Race for the most part. This turn of events took a huge toll on Race. There would be days he could barely get out of bed.

Eventually, he got fed up with it. All of his sadness and confusion turned to anger and frustration. He needed an explanation, whether Albert would like it or not. He tracked down the slightly older boy one day after selling.

"Albert." His voice was stern, and he wasn't using a nickname like he always did. This caught Albert off guard, but he kept calm.

"What's up Racer?" He asked. Bad idea.

Race exploded. "What's up? You've been ignorin' me for nearly a week without an explanation and all you have to say is "what's up?" Are you serious?" Race's arms flew around him as he yelled. His face was red, and you could almost see steam coming out of his ears.

Race never yelled. That was the first thing Albert noticed. He never yelled at one of his fellow newsies like this. It was here that Albert realized how badly he had fucked up. Race was hurt.

"Race I-"

"No! I don't want your shitty apology! I want an explanation!" Race's voice broke. He was clearly on the verge of tears.

"Race..." God. What did he say? Could he fix this? "I just...I needed..." The blonde crossed his arms and tapped his foot impatiently as Albert fumbled over his words. Finally, he took a deep breath, avoiding eye contact with Race.

"I was ignoring you 'cause I ain't good enough for ya." Albert admitted. Race's expression immediately softened, all of his anger seemingly forgotten. "I thought It'd be best to distance myself so ya wouldn't have to bother getting rid of me yourself."

"Albie-"

"It would be better for me to just remove myself from the picture so you don't gotta, right?" 

Race looked at his shoes, trying to keep tears from escaping. Before he knew it, he was running towards Albert, wrapping him in a huge hug. That's when the tears came. The redhead seemed shocked at first, but soon wrapped his found around his boyfriend's slender body, resting his chin on the top of Race's head. 

"Sorry. Didn't think you'd actually be upset."

"Of course I would be!" Race slightly pulled away, looking Albert in the eyes. "You've been my best friend for nearly a decade and my boyfriend for half a year, of course I'd be upset if you left!" Albert wiped a few tears from his boyfriend's wet cheeks.

"I guess I thought you were fakin' it. Ya feelings for me."

"I would never! I love you Albie. Really. I dunno what I'd do without ya." Race wrapped his arms around Albert's neck, bringing their faces closer together until the tips of their noses were touching. 

"Are you upset with me?" Albert gently asked, moving his hand to cup Race's cheek.

"Not anymore."

They stayed there for a few moments before they heard the doors of the lodge open, and the familiar noises of the rowdy boys that followed. They gently chuckled, exchanging a quick kiss before heading into the main room, where a few newsies were already setting up a poker game.


End file.
